Dissolving the Ego of Fashion

Engaging with Human Matters

The Fashion Professorship aims to rethink the cracks in the fashion system and the role that fashion plays – and could potentially play – in relation to urgent social, cultural, environmental and political developments in contemporary society. We envision an alternative and more engaged future of fashion in which we do more justice to fashion’s human dimension. Through research, design and critical thinking, we analyse and develop alternative approaches, systems, vocabularies and strategies. In doing so, we aim to activate the power of fashion to reimagine future bodies, future materials and future makers to contribute to resilient futures and inclusive societies.

conference

April 08, 2019 – April 12, 2019

conference

Presentation

Emotionally Durable Design at Beyond Next

The event Beyond Next, organized by Circle Economy and Amfi, brought together the next generation and current industry professionals to tackle global challenges through circular innovation.

Kate Raworth was one of the keynote speakers and presented her vision on how to meet the needs of all people within the needs of the planet. She discussed how to move from closed loops to nested loops and from segmented circularity to ecosystem circularity.

Simone Post, Zinzi de Brouwer and Danielle Bruggeman participated in the panel discussion ‘fashion beyond growth’ on Friday February 8. They presented their research and thoughts on how emotionally durable design can help to move beyond growth in fashion.

The project Emotionally Durable Design, by the ArtEZ Centre of Expertise Future Makers, aims to reframe and rethink the notion of ‘emotional durability’ in debates on sustainability in fashion discourse by exploring the emotional value of the textiles of the company Vlisco as a case study.

We explore the role of design in creating an emotional connection with fashion objects. It is about creating a deeper, more sustainable bond and long-lasting relationship between people and objects. This is based on the idea that people will take better care of and hold on longer to their clothes, instead of rapidly throwing them away, as we often do.

This project highlights the importance of taking into account a value-based approach focused on wellbeing when aiming to instigate more sustainable design strategies and consumer behavior.

Our aim is to create emotionally durable design strategies that can help fashion to move beyond its obsession with growth.

Designer Simone Post and fashion strategist Zinzi de Brouwer went to Abidjan in Ivory Coast for their research.